Bruins Goalie Falling Short Since Contract Extension

The Boston Bruins committed a huge amount of money and term to goaltender Jeremy Swayman this season. It was a summer of back and forth negotiations, cinematic levels of tension, and ultimately an extension was signed.

After the Bruins and Swayman signed on the dotted line for an eight-year, $66 million contract, the expectation was simple and clear: be a top goalie in the NHL. That's what happens when you have the fourth highest average salary among active goalies in the league. The problem is that Swayman is falling significantly short of that mark to begin the 2024-2025 campaign.

So far this season, Swayman looks like a shell of the goalie he was the past three seasons. Through 13 starts, he's sporting the worst statistics and record of his NHL career. He's 5-6-2 with a goals against average of 3.35 and a disappointing save percentage of .888%. His latest starts have been a rock bottom for Swayman, allowing seven goals against the Dallas Stars and five against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

So what's the problem with the Bruins' net minder and can it be solved? That's the million dollar question for the Boston coaching staff and front office.

The easiest issue to point out is that his running mate for the past three seasons, Linus Ullmark, is now in Ottawa backstopping the Senators. The duo were thick as thieves as the pair in net and friends off the ice. Not only were they extremely close, but they balanced each others' play out in the perfect way.

NHL EDGE is showing a simple reality for Swayman as well: the closer you get to him, the more ineffective he is. Looking at his save percentage separated by distance to the net, there is a consistent drop in save percentage.

He stops the most shots from the point and blue line, considered the low danger area, stops a lower percentage from the mid-range area, and has his worst save percentage in the high-danger, net front area. Most goalies have this sort of save percentage distribution, but it's the stark decline that is most disturbing.

Now, this doesn't mean that Swayman can't return to form. In his career, he's show he's one of the most talented players at his position. For his and the Bruins' sake, this hopefully is a rough patch that Swayman will shed soon. But if this continues, this skid could turn into a major problem for Bruins and their championship pursuits.